I just had to shake my head clear of the bunniness so that I could at least pretend to get back to work. But really…I’m just gonna be seeing bunny noses in my head ALL day long. Those spreadsheets are only getting done now if they involve rabbit-noses.

Actually, if this is University of Victoria, they have a serious feral rabbit problem. Thoughtless people abandon their rabbits there, they multiply, and no one will do anything about it. These are NOT wild rabbits, they are not genetically suited to living outside, they suffer with abcesses, tooth problems, etc. I don’t know if there is any rabbit rescue group out there able to do anything about it. They are cute, sure, they are only there because they have been abandoned by stupid owners, they are not part of the ecosystem.

Actually, Leenk, bunnies groom themselves the same way that cats do. And also, janet2buns is right, these are not wild rabbits, they are domesticated rabbits that bad owners have abandoned, they are not suited to living in the wild and they do not burrow, as it has been bred out of them over the past 500+ years.

That being said, I just wanna scoop the poor things up and snorgle them!

If this is indeed UVic then this could be many generations down from the original dumped bunnies. Like most animals they adapt quickly to their environment and have obviously thrived. The indoor rabbit is a more recent development and every bun I’ve had would rather be running around outside.

I can unequivically say that domestic rabbits still burrow.
We had a rabbit that dug a whole goddamn warren in the backyard once.
A year or so after she passed away, the whole thing started to collapse. It was bloody HUGE.

SMITHS REFERENCE FTW!!!! OMG Meg I was JUST quoting the Smiths in an e-mail (although it was “I Know It’s Over” not “How Soon Is Now”) and that’s like the NINTH psychic thing that has happened to me today.

And if ever — IF EVER — a post deserved a “Nom” tag, it’s this one!!!! (Also, let’s set up a webcam for the lawns at UVic, shall we?)

[Dude. I did the hovers, this time. And speaking of noms, I need some lunch… – Ed.]

When we’re playing hide and seek
At my heels they sneak, sneak, sneak,
When I hide they peek, peek, peek,
I get so mad I could shriek: EEEEK!

If you want a fuzzy bunny
That’s got a wigg’ly nose and cotton tail
I wish that you would buy a bunny
‘Cause I got lots of bunnies for sale.’

That is, of course, ‘You Wanna Buy A Bunny’, by Spike Jones. If you have never heard this squeelingly adorable song, do so NOW! There is a video on Youtube, as well, with loads of vintage bunny pics. (Us Dr. Demento fans from Back In The Day recall this tune fondly.)

By the way, Megan: I LOVES ME SOME C.O! Thank you for my daily cuteness fix!

I was not going to say anything, but since this is the second UVic post in one week, I feel compelled…

These bunnies are definitely adorable. BUT I would hate to see anyone get the idea that it is okay to release domestic buns into the outdoors. Most don’t survive and many suffer cruelly. Bunnies are the 3rd most abandoned pets and this is a real problem. Bunnies have complicated digestive systems and require specific diets, as well as exotic veterinary care, so many folks think they are just getting a cute pet and then realize that they are higher maintenance than they anticipated. Shelters are full of abandoned bunnies and many folks just turn them loose. While the UVic population does seem to be doing well, I just worry that the young folks reading CO might think this is okay.

As a “mom” of two bunnies, I am always concerned when I see careless treatment of this complicated little creatures.

After years of working with abused rodents (not lagomorphs, sorry!) it is safe to say that being feral is a truly horrible existence for small animals. When animals are domesticated, they become (in general) larger, slower, dumber, and easier to spot. That is why Wistar rats are big cuddlelumps and New York sewer rats, well, not so much. . .

Feral ain’t funny (and could actually lead to a mass extermination if the state becomes involved – very ugly).

Second Nik, as I also have a bunny. Yes, they are absolutely adorable and I wish my campus had them (we had a few wild rabbits), but on the other hand, I feel so sorry for them- they have no natural camouflage against predators, there’s cars, and UVic even culls them (noooo!!!) So people who abandon their rabbits there won’t have the safe, happy life they thought they would. Do they have a veterinary program where they could do a catch and spay/neuter and release instead? Or are students encouraged to adopt bunnies either during or at the end of the year? Either would be a nonviolent solution to the “pest” problem (I, for one, would LOVE having rabbits all over my lawn, but I guess the UVic administrators don’t).

I just took a peek at the University of Victoria website to see what they say about their bunny population. Last fall, they launched an awareness campaign and asked that people stop feeding the rabbits and stop abandoning their pets. It has evidently not yet worked, as folks are still doing this, as is clear by the pics we’ve seen. Here is their website:http://communications.uvic.ca/rabbits/

Here is a blurb from one of their background documents about the rabbit population:
“…Most feral rabbits at UVic are unwanted pets or descendants of unspayed or unneutered pets abandoned on campus. Pet owners may think that UVic is a safe place for rabbits and that setting them loose is easier or kinder than taking them to an animal shelter. It isn’t. Pet rabbits are not well-adapted for the rigours of outdoor life. Due to predation, disease, cars and dogs, as well as harassment by humans, feral rabbits at UVic often live short and difficult lives…”

Sadly, UVic is treating these domestic animals as wildlife, which means that they will have lives of suffering.

So I worry that posting photos of the UVic buns twice in once week on CO will bring them additional publicity and therefore reinforce the idea that this is a humane way to treat these sweet bunnies.

(Okay, now I am really finished. I promise.) *Goes off to kiss her two little bunnies.*

The UVIC rabbits have adapted quite well to their outdoor lives. I’m not saying that they should have had to, abandoning a pet like that is NEVER right, but the current generations seem quite comfortable out there. Someone probably should go and clear them out, but there are ALOT of rabbits there. They’re cute (and make excellent pets…the one I yoinked as a baby when I went there for a drama festival passed away last october at 9 years old…she was a real sweetheart), but there are so many of them…more than one shelter would have to take part it taking them out of there.

Nik, I understand your concern, but I believe this is a unique environment that the bunnies have survived in. The students of UVic obviously treat them very well and they’ve been living in a little bunny paradise. Victoria is on an island anyway, I believe, so I think this is a special case where the community has grown to accept them and treat them as part of their environment. Given different circumstances, I’m sure this wouldn’t have happened, given the higher likelihood of predators, lack of boundaries, and a difference of people.

While I would never condone someone abandoning their pet like someone(s) obviously did to create all of these buns…
You have to admit that this is very cute.
Those bunnies have obviously adjusted very well and are doing just fine.
No one here is telling people that they should abandon their pet rabbit in hopes of something like this will happen.
I think this was just a very special cirumstance and it worked.
Time to stop being buzzkills and just enjoy it.

First let me say that I agree with the posts that caution people about NOT dumping domestic animals on campuses. This creates lots of problems for both the environment and the animals, and is not a solution to unwanted pets.

The first bunny lives right outside my building door at UVic! I see him and all his little friends every morning. They survived well throughout the snowy winter and thrive, along with hundreds of other rabbits, on campus.
The rabbits have been at UVic my entire life and although it was horrible that the first few were abandoned here they have definitely adapted over the years. We also have a very thriving and well fed hawk population on campus.

I’m a bunny-mom- we have 4 house rabbits and have fostered others. I too had a bunny when I went to UC Berkeley-I went into a reptile store for a hamster. They went to look in the back and had none, but they came out w/ a cardboard box w/ a young guinea pig and young bunny in it. They said they were free, just take them or they’d be snake food (so I did.) I lived in the dorms and had to keep them out of my roommate’s half of the tiny room, they ran around everywhere and were very happy. (My roommate got REALLY mad at me once b/c Bun-Bun got past the barrier and ripped apart her fuzzy slippers, eek!)My guinea pig almost got me caught b/c he would do super-loud wheaks, I had to keep music on almost all the time to drown out the wheaking piggy. When he walked he wheaked, we said it was like he had squeaky shoes on:) (Yes, now I know piggies & bunnies shouldn’t be together, but these guys had bonded and I didn’t know better yet.)

I had to move out of the dorms and into UCB family housing that didn’t allow pets (I got preggers and they didn’t allow any pets OR babies 🙂 I posted flyers and found a great home for them where the family was committed to them. If I had let them go they definitely would have died, despite all the pretty grass and foliage on our campus.

Domestic rabbits lose their natural instincts like tunneling to build a nook for themselves, they don’t get the adequate nutrition and die young, they mate and many does die during childbirth (and the babies,) they get hit by cars, killed by people’s dogs, etc. It’s not an easy life. If you dump a rabbit don’t think you’re doing it a favor, they really do stand a better chance at a shelter where bunny rescues get people to foster rabbits till they get forever homes. One of my buns was on death-row and another was as well despite being a purebred lionhead, I fostered her and her 2 sisters. Two went to an owner and she stayed with me 🙂

Anyway, these buns seem to have been lucky and their ancestors that were released managed to find enough food/escape any predators/re-learned some bunny skills like digging a tunnel for the babes, at least enough to grow the colony. I’m sure that they still do not live long, likely a few years, but the mating keeps the population up. A house rabbit well-cared for can live more than 10 years, the oldest I think was 15 years. I think a world filled with rabbits would be awesome and I am so jealous of you that you go there.

But anyone looking at that who might be having to move b/c of housing or $ issues, please don’t dump your bunnies. It’s a death sentence, whether it comes quickly or in a couple years. Please take them to a shelter (try to find a no-kill one, google for one or a bunny rescue place.) Even if it’s a kill shelter chances are there are bunny rescues that might be able to home or foster your bunny (many do not take them directly from owners, but from the shelter.)

The BEST thing to do is put an ad on Craigslist (do NOT say free rabbit or $10 bunny, that will make them snake food.) Ask for an adoption fee and that it includes all the rabbit gear. (If they don’t want the gear, they likely don’t want the bun as a pet. People have been known to get rabbits for eating off Craigslist, no joke! In this economy, I wouldn’t be surprised if people thought roast rabbit sounded good. 😦 Then ask potential owners a set of questions you have written out, like “How have/will you rabbit-proof your house? Will you be able to provide vet care? Can you provide unlimited hay, daily veggies along with the pellets, etc.” You can get this info on rabbit.org.

Here ends my sermon, off to get things done and will not write any more dissertations, promise 🙂

God, I miss the UVIC bunnies! I know there’s a lot of concern for their wellbeing, so I’ll just say that I grew up pretty much on the UVIC campus, and I can honestly say that these bunnies are doing just fine. I can recognize plenty that have been around for years, so it’s not like the population is composed totally of abandoned pets, nor like they have short life spans in the wild. In addition, the students, staff, groundskeepers, and visitors to the campus all take a keen interest in the rabbits’ health – we take the sick ones to the vet, shoo them off the roads, and care for abandoned babies. So don’t worry, everyone! These little guys are safe and sound, and we can all go back to cooing over them. 🙂